Delivering as One, a UN in China conversation presented by Resident Coordinator Siddharth Chatterjee: Episode 7 with Sixi Qu, Representative and Country Director for WFP in China

In the seventh episode of the UN in China podcast, UN Resident Coordinator in China Siddharth Chatterjee sits down with Sixi Qu, Representative and Country Director for the World Food Programme (WFP) in China.  

Dr. Qu, a Chinese national, was born and raised in a rural village in southern Hunan Province. Having finished school at an earlier than typical age, he then engaged in all forms of agricultural and farming work, specifically in rice production, only further impressing upon his views from childhood on the importance of food security. He later enrolled at the then Hunan Agricultural College in 1980, graduating four years later and joining the then Ministry of Agriculture following his studies, working largely within the Department of International Cooperation.

During his 33-year career at the Ministry of Agriculture, starting as a project officer and progressing onwards to Director-General level Counsel, he worked closely with UN entities such as FAO, IFAD, and WFP. His experience also saw him gain more experience and a closer lens on bilateral and multilateral agricultural cooperation, technical support and exchange programmes with other parts of the world. Dr. Qu joined WFP in April 2016 as Director of the WFP China office.

“The story of our cooperation in China can be divided into two parts. Before 2005, China was one of the major recipient countries of WFP, and after 2005, China became a (net) donor to WFP.”

In this episode, Dr. Qu highlighted how WFP’s engagement in the country has evolved over the past decades, from establishing its presence in China as part of the UN family in 1979, during the first phase of reform and opening-up. China was once one of the primary recipient countries of food aid from WFP, with over 70 funded large-scale projects in every province in China, including large cities such as Beijing and Shanghai, benefitting over 30 million people. Thanks to China’s socio-economic progress and its adoption of relevant policies and innovations toward food security, China stopped receiving food aid from WFP in 2005 and, since 2006, has emerged as a net food aid donor.

During the conversation, Dr. Qu explains how because of these changes and through initiatives such as the WFP Centres of Excellence, WFP in China now works to be a platform in four main thematic areas, including smallholder value chain capacity development, post-harvest loss management and food systems, disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation, and innovation in rural revitalization and poverty reduction. In stepping up efforts and engagement with relevant government and private-sector stakeholders, he describes several new WFP pilot projects in areas such as preschool nutrition improvement in provinces like Hunan, Gansu, Guangxi, and Sichuan.

Together with the Resident Coordinator, the two also discuss challenges and opportunities in the years ahead, including the rural revitalization agenda as emphasized in China’s 14th Five-Year Plan, sharing crucial experiences and lessons in food security with other parts of the world in South-South Cooperation, and the remaining need to tackle nutrient deficiencies in China with a focus on women and children, as well as WFP’s work in China to leave no one behind and contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, as part of the UN system in China.

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Sixi Qu

Dr. QU Sixi was born in 1963 in Hunan province in South China. He graduated from China Agriculture University and holds a Doctor’s degree in management.

QU joined China Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) in 1984 as Project Officer for FAO affairs and UNDP-funded agricultural projects at the Department of International Cooperation. From 1987-1989, he was seconded by MOA to FAO China office as a secretary. From 1992-1993, he was seconded by MOA to WFP China office as Senior Programme Officer. During 1994-2003, he was first Deputy Division Director, Division Director and later Deputy Director General responsible for cooperation with FAO and WFP as well as bilateral cooperation with American/Oceanic/Asian/African Countries. From 2004-2012, he worked as the Director-General, Center for International Cooperation Service, Ministry of Agriculture, responsible for bilateral agricultural cooperation, technical exchange programmes and technical support. From July 2012 to March 2016, he served as the Counsel (Director General level) at the Department of International Cooperation responsible for multilateral cooperation with FAO and WFP as well as agricultural exchange with CGIAR, G20, APEC and ESCAP. He joined WFP in April 2016 as Representative/Country Director of WFP China Office.

Dr. QU is married with one daughter.

Siddharth Chatterjee

Siddharth Chatterjee took office as the United Nations Resident Coordinator in China on 16 January 2021 and is the designated representative of - and reports to - the UN Secretary-General. He presented his letter of credence to the President of China on 14 April 2021.

Mr. Chatterjee has more than 25 years of experience in international cooperation, sustainable development, humanitarian coordination and peace and security in the United Nations and the Red Cross movement. He has served in many fragile and war-torn countries all over the world.

A 3 times TEDx speaker, he is a regular opinion contributor on humanitarian and development issues for a range of journals which includes Newsweek, Los Angeles Times, Reuters, Huffington Post, Forbes, CNN, Al Jazeera, the Guardian and as of late has also published in mainstream Chinese journals.

Mr. Chatterjee holds a master’s degree in public policy from Princeton University in the United States of America.